Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup

I called and Roto-Rooter was able to come out the next morning promptly within the agreed timeframe. The technician moved the washing machine, removed the drain plug and was able to clear the plug quickly and efficiently. I then asked him to clear a bathroom sink that drained very slowly. He charged extra for that service but was willing to do the second bathroom sink for free. He removed hairclogs and such and both drains now drain fine. Overall a good experience, technician worked fast, knew what he was doing and explained the situation well.

Good news: They came the same day I called, and were the only company of the three I called who could do so. Bad news: Everything else. While they did perform service the same day I called, service guy showed up an hour late, with no call (and no apology). This made me an hour later for work than I already was. But I needed a shower, and we have only one bathroom. I waited. I was so shocked at the price quote the service guy gave me to snake a drain ($375) that I called the company to confirm it. I got a rude office employee (don't recall what she said, but rude, arrogant and definitely not service-oriented) and then a manager's voicemail. No confirmation Ultimately the service guy gave me a "discounted" final price of $300. The entire visit lasted half an hour at most. Still in shock as I paid the bill, I asked the guy if he had any recommendations for avoiding future clogs. (RotoRooter markets products for this purpose.) He replied only that I should cut my hair off.

As a follow up to having my drain routed, by Roto-Rooter, I asked for a camera to be used to a**** the condition of the sewer line. Two days later a camera technician discovered a blockage in the line. This was a surprise as the previous Roto-Rooter technician had said that the line was clear to the septic tank. This is even more of a mystery as the blockage turned out to be a broken line and I cannot understand how the original technician could claim to have reached the septic tank which was on the other side of the break. Nonetheless, I could not use my plumbing and was hostage to their exorbitant price for the repair. On the plus side, the technicians involved were on time, went right to work, and I believe finally gave me a professional plumbing job.

They came out in a timely manner, and provided the quote. But it was very high and they tried to sell additional work as well. I ended up going with another company that was much more reasonably priced.

A bit expensive for the 15 to 20 minutes it took to complete the job. The first plumber never showed but the second one was pleasant, professional and apologetic. In the end it was money well spent.

It was very unpleasant. We felt threatened. I was glad to have the presence of the WSSC rep who was quite wonderful. I 've noticed that each time a plumber comes to drain a line, they always say they need a longer snake and say there will be an added cost. Why can't they come with a long enough snake in the first place? I did call the manager at the head office to ask if he could send a rep to fix the missing bolt To replace it the toilet must be removed again. He said he could send someone, although he did not really believe me, but if there was another problem he would have to charge me. I replied his rep should have told me there was a problem and should have replaced the bolt. I did not feel I could trust Roto Rooter to take apart the toilet, and take the risk of them telling me there is another problem with the seal for example, and making me accept their price because the toilet was taken apart, and what could I do?

punctual, knowledgeable, explained everything as he went along in terms i could understand. price was ok, accepted discount coupon from angies list. would use again if needed. most inportant, he was there in no time and wasted no time in getting to work to fix the problem.

It turned out to be a bigger job than we had expected and hence it was a bit expensive. They had to replace some piping too. We had a positive experience with them. It did turn out to be a bit negative since it turned out to be a bigger project but I wouldn?t blame them for that. While they were fixing the problem, there was some leaking that went down into our basement and directly to the drop ceiling and it damaged the ceiling. However, the guy who did this job knocked a couple of hundred dollars off. He was pretty gracious and the work was done well. It turned out to be a whole day job. The work has been fine so far since it?s not leaking anymore. They were very quick in responding to our call and they came out the same day. The guy was very nice and I would use their services in the future too.

I called Roto-Rooter to have them inspect the water line for a leak or anything that could be causing a high water bill. They went out the day after I called and reported no problems. So I was not charged. I have used them before to clean a drain at the same location and they were prompt, efficient, pleasant and reasonably priced.

Because it was a holiday it was ridiculously priced. I think they were fine, but it probably would have saved them time if they would have told us in advance that the price would be more because it was a holiday. Their responsiveness was pretty good, especially for a holiday.

They were prompt and told me the cost upfront. I never had any problems with them. They were fine, but expensive.

One thing I like about them is that they always provide very quick service. The service has always been very good and I have never had to call them back for a correction. They are always polite, courteous and come when they say they are going to come. I would use them again, if needed.

They were great. They came quite quickly, it was an emergency call. They cleaned out my line, helped me identify the problem and gave me some good advice about a permanent solution. They were really quite helpful and professional.

The technician spoke English poorly and was rude and difficult to understand but gave us an estimate and we agreed for him to start the work. We had been told at the plumbing store that the faucet and filter installation would only involve shutting off the water valves inside our apartment. Instead, the technician asked for access to the building's water valves and shut off valves to several other units. He did not turn all of the valves back on after the work was completed. This created two problems. First, we had low hot water pressure in our unit and another technician from Roto-Rooter had to come back to fix it. Second, other units had no water at all and the building management had to call another plumbing company to correct the problem. This created another bill for which we are responsible. In addition, the original Roto-Rooter plumber charged $70 for an extra hose and charged us an extra hour for his time to go buy it. That was not included in the estimate and since we had purchased a complete Culligan do it yourself kit, his explanation was questionable. We had to call Roto-Rooter a third time when we lost water pressure for both hot and cold a week later. The technician made the repair and did not charge us. We left a voice mail message at corporate headquarters to complain about the service and did not hear back for almost a month. In sum, we paid almost $400 to have a do it yourself installation of an under-sink water filter and kitchen faucet that took three technicians visits to complete.

A tenant called in the evening about the drain being clogged. Since this drain had been a problem before, which caused an overflow, I decided not to wait until the next day. I called Roto-Rooter, because their two full page ad in the DC phone book said there was no extra charge for nights. When the plumber arrived, he gave me an estimate of $549.60, much more than I had paid in the past. I was anxious to get it done, so I told him to proceed. He also flushed a toilet, which filled slowly, and asked for another $141.60 to fix it. I declined knowing it could be fixed for much less if necessary, which it wasn't. He spent over two hours, a lot at his truck and gave me a bill with an extra $141.60 claiming extra work, which he had said nothing about. This drain clogs up every few years, and I never spent half of what I was charged. This was a clear attempt to run up the bill. I feel riped off, which I was. As far as I can tell, the drain was cleared, but because of the ripoff, I am suspicious of the quality of the work.

It is an unwritten law that toilets and sewers always back up on Sunday's and we were not an exception to the law. The top rated outfit, Alpha, is 9-5 Mon-Friday so they were out. The other top rated pick primary number was not in service so Roto-Rooter looked OK and had a coupon. They promised an hour but I have no complaints when they arrived at 1.5 hours. The downstairs toilet and tub were backing up and there is a cleanout about 10 feet from the curb which did not seem to backed up. There are no other cleanouts outside of the house. There is one in the kitchen which is against the wall in a cabinet where we store pots and pans. It is basically accessible but it is not where you want a cleanout. The guy said he could not use that cleanout and would have to remove the toilet to run the snake. The price for that was $ 499.00. He agreed to a senior discount of $ 50 and I mentioned the Angie's list coupon. We allowed him to proceed. He wheeled the largest machine into the house, removed the toilet and found paper towels snagged at 20 feet out. He said he had to remove one cutter and went all the way to the street without any problem but could not get the full cutter past 20 feet. While the toilet was off, the cut off valve was dripping. I noticed it last year when I changed the supply line. It drips but is OK for short repairs. He correctly identified the problem and I was quoted a price of $172 installed. I questioned the price. The valve is $ 6.00 and the labor is a half hour, even less with full access with the toilet removed. He said that was the price they charged. I balked and he dropped to $ $150. I again said a half hour labor might be $50 -75 and would not have the valve changed for the price. If the price reflected an initial call and first hour effort, the price would be OK but not as an additional task on an existing call. The effort is minimal with the toilet off the floor. The valve is threaded, not soldered on the inlet. He finished after replacing the wax ring and the toilet. Everything worked. He asked me to verify that the cutoff valve and supply line were not leaking. He cleaned off some of the c*** which flies off the sewer line onto the vanity. The floors were dirty despite a tarp. When he presented the bill it was $ 450. I asked where the Angie's $30 discount was. He said only one discount. I said there was no disclaimer for that. He grumbled and had to redo the bill. Shortly after he left, we got a call from his supervisor saying the technician advised of the blockage and they said when do we want to schedule the sewer cam? While that might be something I need later, this was the first backup since the house was built in 1958. I felt like the whole job was a rip-off based on the way it was handled. I would not use this firm again. I don't trust them. They may be reputable but I don't like the way the handled this job.

It is working fine so the work turned out ok.

When we've used them, we've had good results every time. They've been able to come when we need them, especially in the case of an emergency. We've been pleased with their work and will continue to use them.

I made a reservation online for next day service. I was very happy to see I could schedule a "5PM to 8PM" appointment. I promptly received confirmation emails. I called the next day to talk about price and the woman answering the phone was very pleasant. Fifteen minutes before the scheduled appointment start I received a polite phone call noting a plumber is on his way. The plumber arrived around 6:00 PM and was finished about 30 minutes later. He was very polite and did clean work. He took care when loading his equipment into and out of my house. I was quite shocked by the price but needed the drain cleared.

We called Roto Rooter at 6 p.m on a Saturday night. They said a tech would be there within an hour. With a camera. They called 90 minutes later to say they were running behind. They showed up after 10 p.m. The tech worked for about an hour cleaning out the line. He worked longer than anyone had ever done on the line to ensure it was clear. However, he did not have a camera as the person on the phone had promised. He completed his work by midnight. I think I could have understood the wait if they had not promised he would be here within an hour. And I really wanted them to bring a camera because our line is likely is bad shape and I need to see it. But the work he completed was very good.

When the neighbors below our condo reported that water was coming in through their bathroom ceiling, we wanted to act fast to get the issue resolved--they've always been great neighbors, and we knew how we'd feel. So we paid to get a plumber out that day. After poking around both our apartment and the neighbor's ceiling, they determined that we would need to replace the toilet. He disappeared for a few hours to get a replacement toilet, and returned with the cheapest piece of junk toilet I could imagine. If they had given us any alternative, we would have paid extra for a decent toilet (even though this one was already marked up maybe 50% over retail). The toilet installation was fine, but the plumber made a terrible mess, including tracking mud all over our carpet and made no effort to clean it up at all. To make matters worse, the toilet was not the cause of the leak in the first place.

The basement tub was quite backed up and unpleasant smelling. The technician arrived less than 30 minutes after I called. Yves, the technician, was incredibly professional and didn't mind me asking questions about the process. We have an unusual plumbing setup, he fully scoped out the situation to ensure that he kept our costs down, while getting the job done efficiently. Quote was right on target and job was completed quickly. He even cleaned the gunk out of the tub afterward. Was especially pleased that Roto-Rooter had a flat $30 upcharge for after hours work. I really didn't want to wait overnight to get the issue addressed, but so often after hours plumbing charges are an arm and a leg.

I called Roto-Rooter based mainly upon the positive reviews on Angie's List and I was not disappointed. In fact, their work exceeded my expectations. I called on Labor Day at 10:15 am; the courteous, professional technician arrived at 11:15 am and was finished by 12:30 pm. He laid out all the costs up-front; $30 for coming on a holiday (seems reasonable to me) and I used the coupon on Angie's List to offset that fee. The other prices were in-line with with what I've seen here and paid elsewhere. Since a different, less experienced plumber (I got the sons of a father/son combo) had cleaned out the line about 6 months ago, this time I wanted to run a video camera to really find out what was going on. He offered to do so at a 75% discount since he was there and said it would help him as much as it would help me. First, he used an auger to clear the drain. Then he ran the video camera so we could both see the state of the 80-year old terra cotta sewer line. Based on what we saw, which was some roots creeping in, a piece or two of line getting out of line, and one crack, but overall in pretty good shape, he recommended putting root destroyer in and seeing how that works for a while. He did NOT recommend the $4600+ replacement of the line which I could easily concur with based on what we both saw. The video camera was priceless (especially with discount) for helping make the decision. He then indicated I could buy root destroyer from him but it would be a bit more expensive than buying it from a store, but I went with his as he did it right then and showed me how to pour it into the drain properly. The drain cleaning comes with a 6-month guarantee, and I could have used it if I had used them previously. Most importantly, I now am pretty confident about the state of the sewer and, hopefully, with root destroyer can delay the sewer line replacement for years. The technician was very professional, honest, and a pleasure to work with. I will ask for him specifically in the future!

Called company around 8:30pm and they arrived by 10:30. The technician was very nice and friendly. Our kitchen drain has a long path to the septic system, and he worked about 2 hours auguring it. However, the charge was not hourly. He assessed the job and gave me an exact quote up front, with the option to either include chemical treatment to further remove pipe grease ($330) or to omit it ($289). I chose to include it. There was a $30 charge for after hours call, but the Angie's List coupon covered that. I called 4 or 5 other plumbers, some near the top of Angie's List, and roto-rooter was the only one who worked in the evening. I was pretty happy with the outcome. I noticed that they included a 6 month guarantee.

Work was arranged promptly though servicemen came at the end of the time window. Worker gave prices without close inspection. Price was high (there were two workers) and worker said it would be $60 higher if he would have to come back. Access to the drain was excellent and electric power and running water were convenient. Worker initially misdiagnosed problem. After 15 minutes with the snake he said it was a "French drain" (which could not be cleared) but it would still cost me $249 for the (non)work. It is not a French drain and when worker tried one last time, he was able to clear it after suctioning pipe with vacuum. After I declined to have him clear the second drain, he suddenly offered to do it at a significantly lower price. It turns out that these prices are highly "negotiable." One rainstorm since work done. So far OK. P.S. I later got a "blind estimate" for one half the price and a much longer warranty.